Page 199 of Caged

I’m breathing too hard. My chest heaves. I take a long, slow breath. Trying to rein in my anger. I refuse to let her see how she gets to me.

Except, I think it’s too late for that. I said too much. Showed her too much of me.

I take a measured step back and lock down my emotions. “I don’t owe you an explanation, Omega.”

She’s looking at me strangely, like she’s trying to understand something.

Worse? She doesn’t look scared anymore. Just curious. And that raises my anger to a fucking ten.

I stalk to the table, pushing books out of the way as I search for my whiskey. I find it, refill my glass, and take a few measured sips. I use the time to calm down. Get my emotions under control.

I’m the one asking questions here. Not her. I don’t owe her anything, especially not answers. That’s not how this is going to work.

“What I want to know,” I say, calmer now that I’ve regained control, “is what you and your father are planning.”

The tension visibly lifts from her shoulders. The way she looks at me doesn’t feel like surrender, though. It feels like resolve.

“I don’t know what he’s doing. I know he meets with a man. At least… I think he’s a man. He scares me.”

I keep my face stoically blank as she speaks, ignoring the way my heart lurches at the thought of her alone with a male who scares her.

Like right now? My Alpha taunts.

Shut. The. Fuck. Up.

Lovely. Now I’m talking back to the fucker.

“What else?”

The Omega sighs. “The meetings happened maybe once a month for a while. Recently, they were more frequent. Weekly. Sometimes multiple times a week.”

Now we were getting somewhere. It’s a road I already traveled, but at least it’s a direction. “Go on, then. Who is he?”

“His name is Alexander. Other than that, I don’t know.”

Her little chin lifts, like she’s daring me to push for more.

So I do.

“Did they meet at your house or somewhere else?”

“My Father’s house.”

She bites absently at her lower lip, brow furrowed in thought. “I didn’t leave the property, but Father left a lot. I’m sure he met with him sometimes, but I don’t know when, or how often.”

The muscle in my jaw ticks. “What did they discuss in these meetings?”

“I only overheard them a few times. Once, he said he had some kind of serum. One that could force an Omega’s heat.”

“Where did he get it?”

“I don’t know.”

“Who was he planning to use it on?”

“He—” she bites down on her lip harder. Red spots appear at the top of her cheeks, and she won’t meet my eyes. I already know the answer, but I push anyway, making her say it.

“Who, Omega?”